Spirit of the sport and the competition
The game of curling is more than 500 years old and has a rich history. The competition — between two teams of four, played with stones on ice — was featured at the first Olympic Winter Games in Chamonix, France in 1924. After a gap of 74 years, it returned as an Olympic Winter Sport at the 1998 Nagano Winter Games, with both men’s and women’s tournaments. The game is both tactical and strategic, it has been compared to “chess on ice” with a skilful and team-orientated ethos.
There is an annual schedule of international events at World and European level for both men and women. The World Curling Championships involve the top 12 curling countries in the world. Each Championship takes nine days and is played in a round robin format to determine the qualification for the finals. While the Women’s World Curling Championship is played in March each year, the men’s event takes place in April.
The men’s and women’s European Curling Championships take place in December and are split into A and B groups, with group A containing the top ten European national teams. The final top eight of group A qualify for the next World Curling Championship. The two lowest ranking teams in Group A are relegated to Group B for the next European Curling Championship.
Rights opportunities
As Official Media and Marketing Partner of the World Curling Federation, Infront consults the federation on the development of the sport and handles all forms of worldwide media rights (except for Canada) for the forthcoming WCF top events, including TV and new media – offering live, delayed and highlights coverage. Following the success of the initial collaboration period of three years the agreement between the WCF and Infront has recently been extended taking the partnership to 2014.
Media production prospects
The World Curling Federation has its own dedicated in house production, using an international team of up to 40 members to cover each event. This set up ensures that expertise is constantly carried forward to guarantee the signal – provided in full HD – is of a consistently high standard. With approximately 10 cameras in the stadium covering all the action, the production consists of one live sheet as well as highlights of any simultaneously played games.
Background appeal
Curling is played throughout the world and its popularity is increasing, along with the global expansion of winter sports. The sport is most firmly established in Canada, Germany, Scotland, Scandinavia and Switzerland, whilst growing fast in Eastern Europe and Asia (mainly China, Japan and South Korea). In total 48 member associations belong to the WCF and the number is rising.
Curling works extremely well on television. The competition is direct and simple, making comparison easy for the spectator, who can soon pick up the essentials of the sport. Players’ voices can be heard by the viewers, making them feel very much part of the game. The tension is prolonged and the excitement builds.
Upcoming Events
2011 Le Gruyère European Curling Championships
2 – 10 December in Moscow, Russia
2012 Ford World Women’s Curling Championship
17 – 25 March in Lethbridge, Canada
2012 World Men’s Curling Championship
31 — 8 April in Basel, Switzerland
